As Grace stepped out of the hot spring pool, she noticed a fresh set of clothes lying neatly on a chair nearby.
She dressed slowly and sat down for a while to rest. After soaking in the hot spring, it felt as if every pore in her body had opened up. Her mind felt a lot clearer.
She pulled out her phone to send Ed a message, but saw that Selene had messaged asking where she was. Only then did she realize that more than an hour had already passed.
Startled, she got up quickly and headed for the exit, only to turn a corner and suddenly collide head-on with a man walking from the opposite direction.
The man wore a silver mask covering his face. He was tall and radiated a powerful presence.
Unlike Ethan''s cool and restrained demeanor, this man''s presence was like an unsheathed de. Even the slightest approach would put one at risk of getting
cut.
Grace bumped her nose hard and winced. She quickly apologized and hurried into the nearby elevator.
The man didn''t follow. Instead, he turned and disappeared deeper into the darkness.
As she watched his retreating figure, Grace rubbed her still-aching nose. There was something oddly familiar about his presence.
When she reached the ground floor, she finally spotted Selene waiting at the exit.
Selene looked at her with concern. "What''s wrong?"
"I bumped into someone. He was wearing a silver mask. The aura around him was... intense."
Selene raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Only one person in all of The Obsidian dares to wear a silver mask-the legendary owner of the establishment. You sure are lucky. I''ve been here so many times and never once seen him."
Grace was surprised. Was that man really so elusive?
She followed Selene outside, but her thoughts remained preupied with worry for Ed.
Upon noticing how distracted she seemed, Selene asked curiously, "What''s going on? Who left those marks?"
She lightly tapped Grace on the neck with a finger.
Grace hadn''t even realized she''d been left with a love bite, nor had she checked herself in the mirror after getting out of the pool. Only now did she realize after being told.
She quickly covered it with her hands. "It''s my boyfriend."
They were already in the car. After a long pause, Selene finally spoke, her tone heavy with implication.
"Don''t tell me it''s Yancey. If it is, then I''m done being friends with you. I''ve heard the news-apparently, the Hendersons punished him under the family''s code, and they''re going to cancel his engagement with Alice. Alice has be aughingstock in Druville now."
Could it be that Grace''s years of pining had finally paid off?
Grace''s emotions wereplicated. She sighed. "It''s not him. It''s someone I met in The Obsidian, a waiter."
Selene''s expression turned from
surprise to disbelief. "You mean one
of those waiters who provide...
special services? Grace, you should
know people like that say whatever they think you want to hear
"Don''t tell me you actually fell for the sweet talk? It''s no wonder you used to like
Yancey. You''re truly a hopelessly ignorant romantic."
Leaning back in her seat, Grace replied, "He''s not like the others."
To Selene, that only confirmed it. Everyone who fell for someone working in nightclubs always said the same thing. They would im that the guy was different, but in the
end, the truth was the same the
Everything was just transactional.
As the car was about to pull forward, a luxury vehicle suddenly cut them off,
stopping a mere inch from crashing into them.
Selene mmed the brakes, and sure enough, Damien stepped out of the other
car.
With a sigh, she rubbed her temples and quickly handed the car keys to Grace.
"Grace, could you do me a favor and drive my car back for me tonight?" she asked.
Grace got out and took the driver''s seat just as Damien grabbed Selene by the wrist and tried to drag her toward his own car.
Selene pped him, but Damien forcefully cupped her face and kissed her.
The Obsidian was located far on the outskirts of the city, and at thiste hour, there were no other vehicles around.